Red Squirrel Reflections Dave Hoover explores the psychology of software development

It has been tremedously satisfying to watch the fatherhood gridblog spread and read some excellent posts. Rob Styles' post entitled Poo is hilarious. Alan's post on self-sacrificial love was touching and relevant to my current situation. I'm glad that Tim found the courage to post the piece he wrote at AYE. It provides a glimpse into the depths and passions of Tim.

Gridblogging rocks. I wonder how much further the grid will spread? Google is probably the best way to track the boundaries.

Posted by Dave [Link]

What advice would you have liked to receive when you were a new or expectant father?

"As much as the child will change your life, it will change your wife's life more."

Spending time with children is one of my favorite things to do. There has rarely been a time in my life that I wasn't spending time with children in at least one context. Growing into fatherhood felt natural to me. And I think I'm a "good enough" father to my three kids. Where I could have used some advice is in being attentive to the radical changes in my wife's life. To be honest, I did hear some good advice on this topic, although the source of the advice is a little embarrasing.

In the movie Looks Who's Talking, John Travolta (the good-hearted cab driver) said that he felt that the husband's role was to keep his wife happy so that she doesn't kill the kids (or something to that effect). At the time, it struck me as patriarchal. But for some reason it stuck with me (though I've never done a great job of heeding it). Now that I am a husband to a woman who spends almost every mintue of the day with three children under six, it turns out to be excellent advice.

If only I could heed it. Maybe this gridblogging will help...

Posted by Dave [Link]

Tim Bacon and I have been meaning to read and write about fatherhood. Last week we agreed that we would simultaneously blog on the topic of fathers in the software industry. The plan has evolved and we have been joined by Laurent Bossavit, Richard Watt, and Alan Francis. We invite all fathers in the blogosphere to answer the following question on Friday, December 17th, 2004:

What advice would you have liked to receive when you were a new or expectant father?

The phenomenon we are trying to facilicate is known as gridblogging.

Posted by Dave [Link]

Just a little piece on writing understandable code.

Posted by Dave [Link]

Download this paper and read the whole thing. It wonderfully ties together lean development, the Law of Demeter, mock objects, and finally, the authors' newest mock object library, jMock.

Posted by Dave [Link]

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So how do I get certified?

Impressive question. You must perform a software development exercise, also known as a code kata. Our staff will quickly carefully evaluate your exercise and determine whether or not you are a non-impaired object-oriented designer.

But, how do I get certified?

Touché. I see that there is no fooling you. In order to attain this prestigious certification, your exercise must not include any of the following attributes: Duplicate Code, Getters, Setters, One and Only One Class, A Non-Working Solution. If your exercise truly lacks the preceding attributes, you will receive a link to a printable Certificate of Non-Impairment to hang in your cubicle.

What if I don't get certified?

That's the spirit! You will not walk away empty-handed. At no an additional cost, you will receive a motivational notecard to display in your cubicle.

Dude, how do I get certified?

Pay us money. Download the exercise. Don't be impaired.

Posted by Dave [Link]

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